Kate is 3 and can mostly dress herself, although sometimes she puts her clothes on backwards. Emily may have been a little older than that, just because I used to always do it myself to get it done faster.
Not really. My little one is turning 3 in august and she tries. She can undress herself (except the shirt) and she can put hats, socks, shoes (on the wrong feet) and skirts, but not pants or shirts. The jacket is a challenge.
Not sure, but my almost 3 year olds have been able to since...2.5, I guess? Maybe a little before? I have no idea what is typical, though I usually find that some kids can do some things, others can do others, and everyone can do the stuff eventually
I think it completely depends on the kid, the day and the clothes at that age. LOL. So it's all over the map.
My three-YO can strip herself naked pretty well, but putting things on is still a challenge. She'll get her arms through sleeves but needs help getting shirts over her head; she can do her socks if she's in the mood; and she doesn't much care about pants, so most of getting those on is up to me.
I don't expect her to get dressed by herself, but she is an active participant in the process.
It depends. My son, who is just 2 can take off and put on a shirt, socks and shoes, given enough time, and can pull down or pull up his pants with instruction. But my 5 year old nephew still gets a hand in the morning from his mom - I think just because it's faster when she's doing it.
ETA: Oh, yeah, and any sort of logic or tying, zipping, buckling is straight out and I wouldn't expect it for years to come.
Post by margotmacomber on May 2, 2013 9:50:09 GMT -5
DD will be 3 on the 12th and she can undress except for the shirt and dress herself except for the shirt. Although to be honest, I usually do it for her because she will take her sweet ass time.
Post by onomatopoeia on May 2, 2013 9:50:35 GMT -5
My oldest is almost 7 and just started dressing himself, lol. His brother is 4 and has been dressing himself for a while now (sometimes with interesting results). Totally depends on the kid, although I will admit to enabling DS1's helplessness a bit. I'm working on that!
I know her mom probably does most of it for her so she never has the opportunity. I handed her her clothes and told her to get dressed and she told me no. So I helped her take off her pjs and the handed her pants to her and she lost it.
My DD just turned 4. She has been able to dress herself for a while. But she takes freaking forever. But she has been able to do it I would guess since she turned 3. She is fairly capable so I'm not sure if that is the norm.
My son is 3.5 and he needs a lot of help. Most of the problem is that he gets frustrated trying to find the right holes for appendages, lol. If he would chill out, I think he could do it fine.
Not sure, but my almost 3 year olds have been able to since...2.5, I guess? Maybe a little before? I have no idea what is typical, though I usually find that some kids can do some things, others can do others, and everyone can do the stuff eventually
I also tend to think twins, or even 2 kids close in age who might otherwise need help, tend to be more independent with some of these things b/c they have to wait for Sibling, and while they're waiting, why NOT try to get that shirt on. Or the parents directs them so they just have to help each instead of fully dress each.
My SIL's kids were like this, very very independent, but she sort of trained them to be AND they were the type of kids who were receptive to it. Like PP said, every kid is different so some will need more help (at least to get dressed in a reasonable amount of time).
Owen is 2.5 and still needs a lot of help. I try to give him opportunities, but he refuses most of the time. The other night, all I wanted him to do was reach down and pull his PJ bottoms up. He freaked out. He does try to do some things occasionally, but his success rate is pretty low.
Quite honestly it is a skill that comes with time. And until then it is a 5 trillion times easier to dress them yourselves then harp on them for a half hour to do it. By age 4 Jack was doing it all on his own. At age three he was like "Oh here is my shirt. Wait I need to go play trucks. Fuck this." So I didn't bother making him do it too often until I could tell he had the attention span to do it.
I know her mom probably does most of it for her so she never has the opportunity. I handed her her clothes and told her to get dressed and she told me no. So I helped her take off her pjs and the handed her pants to her and she lost it.
Dizze, some kids are also really sensitive to what they know they can't do. If you try to "force" a task they aren't confident doing, they might lose their shit.
Or, y'know, if you ask in the wrong way, or they're the wrong pants, lol.
I know her mom probably does most of it for her so she never has the opportunity. I handed her her clothes and told her to get dressed and she told me no. So I helped her take off her pjs and the handed her pants to her and she lost it.
what's the plan for lunch? just point her in the general direction of the kitchen?
My 3 year old can dress herself and undress herself though it takes about 15 to 20 from top to bottom (underwear, pants, shirt, socks, shoes with Velcro, coat). She can't do buttons or zippers yet so there are some limits.
Most mornings I dress her because it is faster and she likes it.
This happened very suddenly and so I roll with it for the most part. My plan was to focus on it 6 months before kindergarten and not really worry about it before that. I'm a lazy parent so take my advice for what it is worth. I also let her potty train herself too which she did about 3 months after she turned 3.
David is just dressing himself at 4. He could have done it sooner but I was lazy about it and just did it myself. Now we don't leave until he does it because, well, it's time. lol
eta: I see that I'm not alone, lol. If at 3 I waited for him to dress himself it would take FOREVER. Even now, I have to rush him along. It's still a five minute process and he's 4.5.
Post by statlerwaldorf on May 2, 2013 10:57:56 GMT -5
DD couldn't get dressed very well until she was closer to 4. She still has trouble with certain shirts and buttons, and can't tie her shoes. She also still puts her shoes on the wrong feet. Sometimes she can get dressed, but pretends like she is helpless.
C is just now starting to do a good job of it and WANTS to do it, which is the key here. Doing things "by myself!" and correctly makes her pretty darn happy.
I have no idea. Youngest niece will be 3 in September. I just tell her "Arms up" when taking off her shirt. She can pull her pants down but has a hard time with her jeggings. When putting shirts on, I just pull it over her head and she does the rest. I have to put the pants on. She rarely wears socks, so I have no idea if she can put them on herself. I know she can take them off.
Post by AHappierHour on May 2, 2013 11:16:04 GMT -5
DD1 can dress herself if I show her what way her shirt or pants go. I normally let her try while I dress her sister. When I'm done dressing DD2 I help and fix her. She will be 4 in June.
i don't know why this is cracking me up so much, but it is.
i mean, even if the cousin/niece CAN dress herself just fine, 3 year olds are like barely tamed wild hyenas. the approach of "here's your stuff, DO IT" works only about 33% of the time. the other 33% of the time they stonewall you and pretend that they're deaf, and then the final 33% they meltdown in epic fashion.
1% of the time, they actually just kill you in your sleep.
Post by gretchenindisguise on May 2, 2013 11:27:33 GMT -5
L can, but doesn't always want to.
So she gets things on not backwards, I taught her that the tags go in the back, which roughly translates to "letters go in the back" and she will proudly show me her non-lettered front of clothes.
DS is almost 3. He can dress himself completely, although he often puts shoes on the wrong feet. But if it takes me one minute to dress him, it takes him at least five. More if there are buttons. We try to give him enough time to do it himself. How else would he learn?
Varies. I think they should probably be able to do it with a little help (like with zippers, etc.). But I don't think it's indicative of a problem if they can't yet. I wouldn't worry about it.
Dressing may seem like a simple task, but it is actually a task that requires multiple skill sets from children. Dressing requires skills such as fine and gross motor coordination, body awareness, bilateral coordination, right/left discrimination, postural stability, and motor planning. As a parent, it can be difficult to know at what age a child should develop certain skills in dressing.
DEVELOPMENTAL STEPS OF SELF-DRESSING SKILLS IN CHILDREN*:
1 Year:
Pulls off shoes Removes socks Pushes arms and legs through garments
2 Years:
Helps pull down pants Finds armholes in pullover shirts Removes unfastened jackets Removes untied shoes
2.5 Years:
Removes pull-down elastic waist pants Unbuttons large buttons Puts on front button shirt
3 Years:
Puts on socks and shoes (though it might be the wrong feet or socks upside down) Puts on pullover shirts with some help Buttons large buttons Pulls down pants Zips and unzips with help to place on track
3.5 Years:
Identifies front of clothing Snaps fasteners Unbuckles belt Buttons 3-4 buttons at a time Unzips jacket zipper
4 Years:
Removes pull over shirts without help Buckles belt Zips jacket Puts on socks correctly Identifies front and back of clothing
5 Years:
Dresses alone Ties and unties knots
6 Years:
Ties bows and shoelaces
According to Jayne Shepherd (2005), achieving independence in dressing may take up to 4 years. During this time, parents gradually perform fewer of the tasks, and encourage their children to do more, with the ultimate goal of independence.